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by Mark
Lamendola
These uplifting stories will touch your heart and caress your soul. Inspiration,
motivation, and encouragement to go one step further, to be a better person, and to fully
love.
Most Important Question
During my second month of nursing school, our professor gave us a
pop
quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the
questions, until I read the last one: "What is the first name of the
woman who cleans the school?" Surely this was some kind of joke. I
had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired
and in her 50s, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper,
leaving the last question blank.
Before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count
toward our quiz grade. "Absolutely," said the professor.
"In your careers you will meet many people. All are significant.
They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and
say 'Hello'."
I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name: Dorothy.
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Pickup in the Rain
One night, at 11:30 PM, an older African American woman was standing
on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing
rainstorm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride.
Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man
stopped to help her - generally unheard of in those conflict-filled
1960s.
The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into
a taxicab. She seemed to be in a big hurry! She wrote down his
address, thanked him and drove away.
Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his
surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A
special note was attached. It read:
"Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night.
The rain drenched not only my clothes but also my spirits. Then you
came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying
husband's bedside just before he passed away. God bless you for
helping me and unselfishly serving others."
Sincerely, Mrs. Nat King Cole
The Obstacle in Our Path
In ancient times, a king had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he
hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock.
Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and
simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the king for not keeping
the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the big stone out
of the way. Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables.
On approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden
and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much
pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. As the peasant picked up
his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the
boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from
the king indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the
boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many others never
understand. Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve one's
condition.
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Giving Blood
Many years ago, a volunteer at Stanford Hospital got to know a little
girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare and serious disease. Her
only chance of recovery appeared to need a blood transfusion from her
5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and
had developed the antibodies, needed to combat the illness.
The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked
the boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw
him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying,
"Yes, I'll do it if it will save Liz."
As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister. He
looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I
start to die right away?" Being young, the boy had misunderstood the
doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his
blood.
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